Calcata Village

Calcata is a tiny, otherworldly clifftop village in the Viterbo province north of Rome, perched on a spur of volcanic tufa high above the wooded gorge of the Treja Valley. Almost abandoned in the mid-20th century after the authorities declared the crumbling rock unsafe and ordered residents to a new village nearby, the old town was instead resettled from the 1960s and 1970s by artists, hippies and bohemians drawn to its dramatic setting and cheap empty houses. The result today is one of the most unusual villages in Lazio: a single fortified gateway leads into a cluster of medieval stone houses, many with workshops, tiny galleries, craft shops and quirky organic and vegetarian restaurants carved into the rock, their walls hung with art and curiosities. Visitors come to wander the handful of narrow lanes and the central piazza, to browse the work of resident artisans selling jewellery, ceramics and paintings, and to soak up the offbeat, faintly magical atmosphere, before stepping out to the viewpoints at the village edge where the cliffs drop sheer into the green ravine below. The surrounding Parco Valle del Treja offers walking trails down into the gorge and to waterfalls, a fine add-on for those with time and good shoes. Calcata is small, so a visit of one to two hours suffices to explore the village itself, longer with a meal or a walk in the valley. It is at its liveliest at weekends, when the shops, restaurants and a small artisan market are open and day-trippers arrive; on weekdays many places are shut and the village is almost deserted, which has its own quiet charm. There is no admission charge to enter. Calcata is reached most easily by car, parking outside the gate, as public transport is limited. As a scope-specific bohemian curiosity of the Lazio countryside, it makes a memorable, atmospheric half-day from Rome.